Helicopter



May-9, 1944. RO- 2,348,249

HELICOPTER F il ed 'Fe b. 8 1941 2 sheets-sheet 1 INVENTOR y 1944- c. FERRO I HELICOPTER Filed Feb. 8, 1941 2 Sheefs-Sheef 2 Patented May 9, 1944 UNITED STATES PATENT orrica Casimlro Ferro, West New Brighton, Staten Island, N. Y.

Application February 8,1941, Serial No. 378,032

3 Claims.

This invention relates to airplanes, and particularly an airplane which also has one or more lifting propellers so that it may be used as a helicopter in taking ofi and landing in relatively restricted spaces or in lowering or discharging-a boat, torpedo or the like while in flight, and has for an object in addition'to the above to provide improved means for mounting and operating the lifting-propeller.

With the foregoing and other objects in view I have devised the construction illustrated in the accompanyin drawings forming a part of this specification. It is however t'o be understood that I am not limited to the exact construction and arrangement shown but may employ variof the invention.

In these drawings:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of an aircraft constructed according to my invention;

Fig. 2 is a vertical section through one means for mounting and operating the lifting propeller;

Fig. 3 is a transverse section substantially on line H of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a transverse section substantially on line H of F18. 2;

Fig. 5 is a vertical section similar to Fig. 2 showing only a portion of the construction and showing a slight modification; and

Fig. 6 is a detailed view showing a modified connection for adjusting the blades to vary their pitch.

The aircraft as illustrated comprises a longitudinal body It having supporting wings I I projecting laterally at opposite sides thereof.

'ous changes and modifications within the scope and rudder 20. If used for fighting craft machine guns or other guns may be mounted at difierent desired locations such as indicated at 2i. No attempt has been made to indicate all possible arrangements, only a few being indicated, and other guns may be mounted in the tail or rear of the body'to protect against attack from the rear.

Mounted on the top of the body may be one or more lifting propellers 22. In the present case a single propeller having a plurality of in the proper direction. The wings Ii have sufably carried by the craft without requiring a Mountedin each wing, preferably at the forward edge thereof, is one or more propellers l2 operating to drive the plane forwardly and of course operated by suitable motors, not shown. The wings have the usual aileron l3 and may have braking fins or other attachments as desired, and also each preferably has mounted on the lower side thereof suitable rotating floating pontoons It to support the wings in landing on water. The under side of the body is preferably constructed in the general shape of the hull of a boat so as to be buoyant and capable of floating on water, and may have any suitable number of torpedo tubes I! if it is to be used as a war craft. The pilot's compartment is preferably located at about the point It above the nose of the plane giving him a clear unobstructed view. At the tail end of the body may be the usual stabilizers i1 and I 8, elevators I 9 ficient spread and area to support the craft in horizontal flight, and the lifting propeller 22 is relatively large and has sumcient lifting power to substantially support the craft so that it may be raised or lowered for take-oil and landing in restricted spaces, and also the speed may be greatly reduced for discharging torpedos or other missiles or forlowering the boat detachlanding.

The blades 23 of the lifting propeller may be of the usual or standard aeroform or aerofoil cross section, and to increase the bite and lifting effect may have laterally projecting blades or projections 24 also of aeroform or aerofoil cross section, and projecting laterally from the body of the blade and inclined with the free ends toward the free ends of the main blade.

Improved means for mounting this lifting propeller comprises a stationary hollow upright column 25 mounted in the body and embraced by a rotatable sleeve 26. Mounted on this sleeve is a head 21 in which the lifting blades 23 are mounted and from which they project laterally in a substantially horizontal plane to rotate about an upright axis and the column 25. These blades are mounted in the head so as to turn about their longitudinal axes for the purpose of adjusting the blades to vary their pitch. They may be mounted in various ways but in. the

present means they are shown as eachv mounted in a horizontal bearing 28 in the dismounted. A second bearing 3! may be provided at the inner end of the blade stem to give it further rigidity and support. The head 21 is mounted on the rotatable sleeve 26 so as to turn therewith. In the present case it seats. on a shoulder 32 formed on the sleeve and to which it may be clamped by a nut 33 threaded on the sleeve and held against loosening by any suit- -able means, such for example as a key 34. The head also has suitable bearing on the column 25 such as the anti-friction bearings 35 and 36, these being thrust bearings to carry the weight oi the head and operating parts or to assist in transferring the lift of the blades to the column and through the column to the body of the aircraft. A hood 31 enclosing a part of the mechanism and also firmly anchored to the body may also have an anti-friction bearing 38 at the under side of the head.

. Other bearings for the rotary sleeve 26 on the column are shown at 38 and are anti-friction thrust bearings. They are located on opposite sides of inwardly extending annular projections 48 on the inner side of the sleeve 26 and located in suitably formed annular grooves'in the column 25. To facilitate assembly the column 25 may be made in a plurality of sections 4|, 42 and 43 connected by inwardly extending flanges 44 and 45 and bolts 46, the flange 44 being recessed to form the grooves to receive the bearings 39. Radial bearings between the column and the sleeve may also be provided at 41.

Other radial bearings between the sleeve and' a lower supporting hood or housing 48 ma be provided at 48 and thrust bearings at 58 and 5|. Various means may be provided for drivin the sleeve 26 and the lifting blades, thatshown being *somewhat diagrammatic. It comprises a spur gear 52 on the sleeve meshing with driving pinions 53 on shafts 54 driven through suitable gearing 55 by motors 56. These motors are merely shown in outline diagrammatically, andcould be 01 any desired type, preferably gasoline motors, or electric motors-driven from a generator driven by a gasoline motor at some suitable location within the craft.

To adjust the pitch of the blades 23 mechanism is provided which may be operated from within the body or from the pilot's compartment. That shown comprises a gear 51 on the stem or each blade meshing with a vertically slidable rack 58 connected to a ring 59. This ring rotates between thrust bearing 68 on an adjustable collar 6| so that the ring may rotate with the head 21, the ring being connected to the head by guide rods 62 connected to the head and having sliding connections with the ring 68. Thec'ollar 8| is adjustable longitudinally on a stationary sleeve 62 embracing the rotatable sleeve 26, and in the present case forming an upward extension or the housing or I hood 48 so that it is supported thereby. Various means may be provided for adjusting the collar 6| longitudinally on the sleeve 62. In the present instance it is threaded to the sleeve as shown at 63, and by rotating the .collar by any suitable means, such as the hand. wheel 64,the collar may be adjusted longitudinally by thisthreaded connection. It will be evident that shifting of shift the ring 58 and through it the racks 68. Shifting of these racks will, through the gears 61. turn the propeller blades 28 about their longitudinal axes to adjust their pitch.

At the top of the column 25 may be mounted suitable machine or other guns 21a protected in any suitable manner, and there may be provided a ladderor other suitable means 1 to give access from the interior of the body to the compartment in which these guns are mounted. This also makes a convenient observation tower or lookout station.

A somewhat modified construction is shown in Fig. 5. .Here the supporting column 65 is also made in sections, but instead of having the connecting flanges integral with the sections 66, 61 and 68 they are in the form of a ring 68 connected to the adjacent sections by any suitable means such as bolts 18.

Embracing the column is a rotatable sleeve 12 corresponding to the sleeve 26, and it has inwardly extending annular flanges or walls 13 running on thrust bearings 14 mounted in annular grooves 15 in the ring 68 and between the sections of the column. the lifting blades 23 are mounted on this sleeve the same as the head 21 in the first arrangement is mounted on the sleeve 26. It may rest on the shoulders 16 and 11 and be clamped thereto by the nuts 18. The stationary sleeve 18 embracing the sleeve 12 and extending upwardly from the housing 48 is carried higher than the sleeve 62 of the first form and carries a support 88 for a thrust bearing 8| under the head 21. It has inner channels 82 in which are mounted thrust bearings 83 for olitwardly extending annular pitch of the blades.

In Fig. 6 is shown a modified arrangement for connecting the shiitableplate 58 to turn the blades on their horizontal axes to efl'ect the pitch adjustment. This is to take the place of the rack 58 and pinion 51, and comprises a bar 88 connected to the plate 68 and connected by curved link 88 to an arm 9| on a collar 82 to fasten it to the stem 2341p! the blade. The link 80 being. pivoted to the arm or the collar at 83 and to the bar at 88 and 84 it will be understood that shitting or the blade 68 by adjusting the collar 86 will shift the bar 88 and link 98 and turn the blade about its axis by means of the arm 9|. The underside of the body comprises two large pontoons 82 which are in the form of motion on land or landing on land or running up on to land or docks from the water.

The foregoing construction and arrangement gives an airplane which may be employed for a large number of purposes as it may be operated in the same manner as a conventional plane, but

through the combination of the supporting wings and driving propellers associated therewith and the collar up or down relative to the column will 76 the large lifting propellers 22, the plane may land The head 21 carryingv and take 01! in a very restricted space. It also may be operated at very slow speeds for the launching of a boat, torpedo or other operations,

and if other parts of the plane such as the wing or propellers l2 and their motors are not functioning properly it may be landed with less danget of serious damage.

Having thus set forth the nature of my invention what I claim is:

1. In an aircraft of the type described, a body, an upright column in said body, a sleeve embracing the column and rotatable thereon, a head carried by the sleeve, a plurality of lifting propeller blades carried by said head and projecting laterally therefrom, means for mounting the individual blades to turn about their longitudinal axes to vary the pitch of the blades, a stationary sleeve embracing the rotatable sleeve, a

collar threaded 0n the stationary sleeve for longitudinal movement thereon, an operative connection fromsaid collar to each blade to turn the blade to change its pitch on longitudinal right axis.

2. In an aircraft ofthe type described, a body,

an upright hollow column in said body and comprising a plurality of connected sections, a sleeve embracing said column and rotatable thereon, a plurality of thrust bearings carried by the column at the joints between the sections, supporting elements carried by the sleeve running in said bearings, a rotatable head connected with said sleeve, lifting propeller blades carried by the head, and power means for driving the sleeve to rotate the blades.

3. In an aircraft of the type described, a body, an upright column in said body, a sleeve embracing said column and rotatable thereon, a rotata ble head connected with the sleeve, a plurality of lifting propeller blades projecting laterally from said head, means for mounting the blades in the head to turn about their longitudinal axes. a stationary sleeve embracing the rotatable sleeve, a collar'threaded on the stationary sleeve for longitudinal adjustment thereon, a plate can ried by said collar, bearings for the plate in the collar to permit relative turning movements, an operative connection between the plate and each blade to turn the blade to vary its pitch on shiftingmovements of the collar, and power means for driving the sleeve to rotate theiblades.

CASIMIRO FERRO. 

